According to CNN, Vice President Kamla Harris stated on Saturday that the US is certain that Russia committed crimes against humanity in Ukraine. On Saturday, Harris addressed the audience at the Munich Security Conference, citing the evidence against Russia and declaring, “There is no doubt: These are crimes against humanity.” She also stated that all individuals who committed these atrocities, as well as their supporters who were complicit in those crimes, will be held accountable.
On Saturday, Harris made the announcement, just days before the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. According to CNN, the vice president is in Germany as part of the Biden administration’s efforts to demonstrate commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty and solidarity among Western partners who have supplied billions of dollars in help, finance, and weapons to counter Russia’s aggression.
During her address, Harris read some material that could be used to prove Russia’s crimes against humanity. “First, from the starting days of this unprovoked war, we have witnessed Russian forces engage in horrendous atrocities and war crimes,” Harris said.
“Russian forces have pursued a widespread and systemic attack against a civilian population – gruesome acts of murder, torture, rape, and deportation. Execution-style killings, beating, and electrocution,” she added.
Vice President further said that “Russian authorities have forcibly deported hundreds of thousands of people from Ukraine to Russia, including children. They have cruelly separated children from their families,” CNN reported.
Harris cited evidence of indiscriminate Russian strikes on people, including the bombing of a maternity facility, which killed a pregnant woman, and a theatre in Mariupol, which killed hundreds. The vice president also addressed the atrocities that occurred in Bucha, where many men and women were shot and left to rot on the streets. The Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, referenced Harris’ statements in a statement on Saturday.
“Based on a careful analysis of the law and available facts, I have determined that members of Russia’s forces and other Russian officials have committed crimes against humanity in Ukraine. Members of Russia’s forces have committed execution-style killings of Ukrainian men, women, and children; torture of civilians in detention through beatings, electrocution, and mock executions; rape; and, alongside other Russian officials, have deported hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian civilians to Russia, including children who have been forcibly separated from their families,” Blinken’s statement read.
“We reserve crimes against humanity determinations for the most egregious crimes. Today’s determination underlines the staggering extent of the human suffering inflicted by Moscow on the Ukrainian civilian population. This determination also reflects the deep commitment of the United States to holding members of Russia’s forces and other Russian officials accountable for their atrocities against the people of Ukraine,” the statement added.
